04/02/2014

Its taken me twenty years to complete but it's finally done! I have endless happy memories of stitching these roses over two decades. I bought the magazine the pattern came from when I was pregnant with our first baby. With him in a pram I went to town on the bus to buy the embroidery silks. The tiny shop was on the Barbican in Plymouth, England, down a small cobbled alley, totally impractical with my mint green Maclaren buggy! Those silks were sooo hugely extravagant in our tiny budget. I marked out the quarters and laid the first stitches as a new mum in our flat above a shop. As life took over it was put away, a stitch or a row added and put away again, over and over. Quiet moments snatched as a baby napped in a moses basket or a few frantic crosses with a baby on my lap and a toddler cuddled next to me. Baby followed baby and I studied and worked. We moved from a flat to bigger and bigger houses as our family grew. The original needle completely rusted away and was replaced, the hoop too became stiff and old. The fabric stretched and the stitches became uneven.

For many years it was waiting patiently in the attic of our house, still in the back of my mind. My mother-in-law occasionally reminded me of it, despaired that I would ever complete it, she offered to take over many times but I loved that feeling that it was waiting for me and knew I would eventually be the one to add the last stitches. In the final few months that we lived in England out it came and I resolved to finish it. More stitches were added as our life was packed away. Then the heart of roses, stowed in a container, travelled 10, 000 miles to the other side of the world. Just when our world was (literally) upside down it was a happy task to keep hands and head busy stitching my peice of history.

Over the years it has taken to finish I've fallen in and out of love with this creation over and over again. Sometimes I'm not sure why I chose it and at other times I love it. The stitching isn't anywhere near perfect. It's certainly got a patina from being dragged about so much. However, I'm beyond glad that it's taken me twenty years to finally add those last stitches. It's as if I stitched our family memories into each petal and leaf and I can certainly love it for that. Now I just need to spray paint the frame I bought for it two years ago.......

01/16/2014

I'm not sure I'll ever get used to these January days. January will forever be dull, grey, seeping cold days in my mind. After all it's only just been Christmas. Yet here I am in 40 degree plus temperatures, summer is definitely where we are at!

The summer holidays are doing their usual trick of disappearing way too quickly. There has been lots of laziness, probably too much laziness. It is very quiet in our house. The children are contented, there are friends, the pool, games to play, books to read, occasional baking and smoothie making. The aircon whirs and fans whirl. Our days are shapeless and carefree. Nothing much happens and I like it that way.

01/03/2014

I used to dream of being able to spend my time crocheting. As a working mum with four children in the house it used to seem an impossible dream. I tried to learn in the holidays but it just didn't fit in with the hectic hurly burly pace I was living at, too slow, too time consuming, too much concentration for the five minutes I had. Being so tense and stressed that your muscles are taught just doesn't lend itself to crochet either.

I can't say that the pace has slowed too much but the stress has disappeared which certainly allowed me to explore how to use a hook. I've can even use a pattern, heck I've even worked out those complicated diagrams that used to look like a whole bunch of wiggles! Every stitch I make brings me enormous pleasure. There really is something magic in making something yourself, acheiving something that you can touch and hold. None of it is perfect but I MADE IT! I just want to make more and more. My head is full of inspiration and plans for future makes. Potential.

It's not just the crochet really either. It's being alive again. Talking to people, making friends, smiling. I'm not trying to say it's perfect, it's a massive sacrifice to be able to acheive this (we moved across the world) but I am very grateful to be able to sit here relaxed and calm, excited about the future writing this, with my family so much more content and happy.

I love reading other crochet blogs and have especially enjoyed seeing the many 2013 round ups out there on the web. I can't resist adding my own, so here are a few of the things I made in 2013:

I'm ridiculously proud of myself! I'm looking forward to adding more pictures throughout 2014 and trying to learn to knit too. Potential.

01/01/2014

This was where I ended 2013, on the beach with my youngest two and my lovely husband. So different to past Decembers in the cold British winters. A year of highs and lows as always but a year that ends well.

I am loving 2014 already. Full of shiny new opportunities, its days unblemished and fresh. Okay, okay too much? But I have never yet approached a new year so full of optimism and excitement.

I didn't do so well with this little blog last year. My 52 weeks of happy turned out to be 4! I kind of found Instagram and loved that for a while. I was struggling to find a voice here. So this is a fresh start as well. I am just doing this for myself and I'll see where that leads.

I am excitedly making resolutions this year. Keen to grab the momentum while its fresh. I'm planning to blog more, learn to knit properly and keep in touch regularly with all my far away family. Have you made resolutions this year? I'm looking forward so much to trying to keep them!

01/28/2013

It feels as if my feet have hardly touched the ground this week! Mr Sunshine has taken some holiday from work and we've had an action packed week! Finally taking a breather on this bank holiday Monday, although we have a bike ride planned for this afternoon, so I'd better be quick!

01/19/2013

When my youngest daughter was born, nearly six years ago in 2007, I was searching for a small toy rabbit for her and the google search bought up Little Cotton Rabbits blog. I was mesmerised and followed every post religiously. I loved the ideas she posted and drooled over the gorgeous rabbits she makes. Using the links from the sidebar I gradually found others sharing their craft and their lives (still need to work out how to do this on my blog!).

Stumbling upon Attic 24's blog was a turning point and I was determined to learn to create those amazing blankets. However I've never been able to do that stuff. My fingers refuse to work properly and I drop stitches and make a mess. I bored all my family with crochet talk and my darling mum appeared one day with some uninspiring cheap wool for me to practise on. It was an out and out disaster!!! Then it was time to go back to work and with four children to care for time for me disappeared, completely. Although I still followed those blogs, beginning to realise that there was also a craft community developing.

This year I gave up my job and became a stay home mum when we moved to Western Australia (long story). Now, with a little time on my hands and following the wisdom of Pip, I actually learned to crochet! I CAN DO IT!!!

01/13/2013

3 :: A pleasant breeze and cooler temperatures after the heat of the last few weeks

4 :: Message from my biggest boy 10,000 miles away

It's been a lazy week, mostly in a good way, although occasionally leading to frayed tempers as stuff has remained undone. I'm feeling aware that the holidays are whizzing away though so next week will be slightly more busy with visiting and 'doing'.

01/12/2013

I'm not sure if I should share this guilty secret, but... I've been working on this project for 19 years! No, you didn't add the 1, NINETEEN!

A lot happens in 19 years - my baby boy is now a man, he has 3 siblings, I became a teacher, got more wrinkles, moved across the world.... But I didn't finish the cross-stitch I started in 1993!

So.......... I figured that it would be amazing to see it finished for the 20 year anniversary and (as long as the crochet I've just learned doesn't get in the way) I am resolved to complete it this year. Fingers crossed!!!

01/11/2013

Baking is always one of our favourite ways to pass time during the long holidays. However, after all the Christmas indulgences and in the heat of summer, it feels less fun. I suddenly realised that we could get around both of these issues, by making a healthy, cold snack, PeRfeCt! Looking around for inspiration I found this recipe and adjusted it to use up some over-ripe fruit lurking in the fridge.

First we cut up the watermelon and removed the pips. Using a stick blender we made it into a liquid and added it to fill about 1/3 of our moulds (actually we got carried away and made too much of this - next time we'll use about half of the watermelon pictured here). Then we put it in the freezer and waited an hour and a half for it to freeze. I put the sticks in each time to keep the space so it would be possible to add it at the end.

After waiting (not so patiently)....... we added the mango and some rock melon prepared the same way. Followed by the kiwi........

.....until

Delicious, healthy and cooling!!! Now we're off to make some strawberry milkshake ones (and perhaps I'll hide some grown up tipsy ones too ;-))